In the sport of fishing there are many approaches to movement of the fishing line and its accompanying lure and bait used to attract fish. Movement of the line is typically accomplished by pulling the lure and bait combination through the water either by moving the fishing shaft and reel while essentially standing still or by the pulling of the lure and bait by movement of a trolling fishing boat. In either approach, it is important that the lure and bait be positioned at a selected depth in an effort to hook fish in that area. This is not always an easy task given the varieties of lures and baits and their different weights. For example, when trolling at a relatively high speed in a boat, there is a tendency for the lure and bait to remain close to the surface rather than dropping to a desired depth.
In order to overcome this inherent restriction to the simple lure and bait combination, the use of a trolling device in the form of a planar board has generally been adopted by some in trolling. Examples may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,872, 5,339,561, 5,867,932, 5,867,933 and 6,016,622, set forth hereafter.
With respect to U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,872, issued on Mar. 2, 1976, to Weber for FISHING DEVICE, a flat, semi-disk-shaped plate with a connection for fishing bait and a fishing line is disclosed. An upstanding fin extends from one side of the plate.
With respect to U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,561, issued on Aug. 23, 1994, to Weber for DIRECTIONAL DIVING DEVICE FOR TROLLING, a diving sinker having a planing member with a fin formed on the top surface of the planing member is disclosed. On the underside of the planing member is a chamber which increases the volume and buoyancy of the diver.
With respect to U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,932, issued on Feb. 9, 1999, to Reiger for TROLLING OUTRIGGER, a trolling device for trolling a fishing lure from a moving boat is disclosed. The device includes a sealed floating hull with a counter-steering rudder, multiple line release clasps, and a variable depth measuring device.
With respect to U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,933, also issued Feb. 9, 1999, to Walker for PLANAR BOARD WITH STRIKE INDICATOR, a relatively complex planar board with strike indicator is disclosed. The planar board includes a base, a light source, a tip-up assembly, an actuation assembly, and a switch. When the lure is struck by a fish, the actuating fishing line release pivots away from the front fishing line release, whereby the pole is released to display a flag, and the light is activated.
With respect to U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,622, issued Jan. 25, 2000, to Even for FISHING DIVER WITH SLIDE THROUGH LINE AND PROTECTIVE FLEXIBLE SLEEVE THEREFOR, a fishing diver is provided by a diving planer. The planer includes a latch member for clamping the diving plane to the fishing line. When used in trolling, the diver dives downwardly and, when struck by a fish, the diving plane is unclamped.
While representing certain improvements in the state of the art for trolling, modifications and improvements can yet be made in the design of trolling devices.